The Promise Revised
by Sensaiman
Summary: This is a slightly revised and proofread version of the story I posted earlier. Please read and review this version.  "Sometimes promises can come back to haunt you."


The Promise

A Castle Fanfiction

By

Sensaiman

**Note: This is a slightly revised and proofread version of the story I posted earlier. Please read and review this version.**

**AN: There is an almost perfect story by JeuxDeVagues called "Unpredictable", which I recommend to you. I say it is almost perfect because he leaves us die hard shippers ( _not to mention Castle_) somewhat unsatisfied at the end. I will not reveal any spoilers about the story, but I am borrowing the basic premise of a KB and RC first date with a somewhat unsatisfactory ending as the backstory of this tale. I in no way mean to impinge on JeuxDeVagues' work, although I will add my voice to the others who begged, and in one case demanded a sequel or epilogue.**

**Disclaimer: All _Castle_ characters, settings, and situations are the property of Andrew Marlowe and/or ABC.**

It was 8:00 a.m on Saturday morning, and I sat at my desk at the 12th panicking. Would he come, would he break off his ties with the 12th, with me, had I just destroyed the best relationship I ever had?

Last night Rick (_he'll never be Castle in my mind_ _again_) had taken me to the Annual Policeman's Ball, and not just as my friend or partner, but as my "**date**". In other words last night had been our "first date" (_crap_).

Don't get me wrong, up until the last 10 minutes or so it had been the best first date of my life. That was the problem.

The date started when Rick picked me up at my apartment. When I opened the door, the sight before me melted my heart, and took my breathe away. There he stood in a beautifully tailored black Armani suit, and (_OMG_) he was gorgeous!

_"_Good Evening my dear Det... Wow!"

I had to smile at how the sight of me in my favorite LBD (_little black dress of course_) had reduced the eloquent Richard Castle into a tongue tied teenager. I had left my hair down because I knew that's how he liked it. I had done my makeup very carefully, and I had indulged in an extra spritz of **his** favorite cherry scented body spray, and from the look on his face he approved.

"Oh, God, Kate, you're stunning"

"Thank you Rick, you're not too bad yourself", I said with a smile.

I quickly grabbed my wrap and clutch, turned out the lights, and, taking Rick's arm, closed the door and walked him to the elevator.

Except for two incidents the ball was wonderful. Rick was a very attentive date. We danced, drank, dined, and talked. It was wonderful. Rick not only made me feel as if I was the most beautiful woman in the world, but as if I was the only woman in the world.

The first incident occurred when I came out of the powder room. I had left Rick at the bar, and as I walked towards him, I saw her. There in all her blond haired, blue eyed overdeveloped glory was Bambi Bimbolini shoving her assets in my Ricky's face.

Needless to say, I stalked over to the bar, and as I reached them I could hear the strumpet say,

"Come on, Wicky (_I'm not kidding, Wicky_ ), one dance please!"', she whined

"Really I'm with someone, please go away,"

I actually stopped and stared, Richard Castle, Bimbo magnet extraordinare, was actually trying to get rid of Lispy Lucy. If any of "**the wall**" had remained it was gone now. With a huge smile on my lips I walked up to them, pushed my arm through his, smiled up at him and said, "Hey, babe, did you miss me?"

"Oh, Kate, I did I really did", and just like that Bambi turned and left, and I think I may have heard her whisper an expletive as she walked away.

The second incident occurred about an hour later. Rick and I had danced some more, and then had found a table. We sat and talked for awhile, and then Rick got up and went to get us some champagne. As I sat and watched him walk towards the bar, I heard a voice say, " Hi! Kate".

I turned around and standing before me was one of the two people I wanted to see least in the world. Especially tonight! (_the other one was in Japan, thank God_)

Tom Demming was there looking down at me in all his six feet plus splendor.

"You here alone?", he said.

"No I'm here with Rick."

"Rick, you mean that writer monkey who was hanging around the 12th a few years back?"

" No I mean Rick the writer who has saved my life about a dozen times, and has kept me whole and sane through the worst year of my life."

"So, does that mean you're together now?"

I didn't even hesitate when I said, "Yes".

As I said it, I noticed Demming's eyes shift up from me.

"Castle". he said.

"Demming", Rick answered, " Here's your champagne, love", he said sitting.

"Thanks, Ricky", I replied.

With a mumbled, "See you around", Demming left.

"Kate, I heard what you said."

"Rick, I ..."

"It's okay, I know you only said it to get rid of him."

"No, Rick, I said it because, as far as I'm concerned it's true, or at least I want it to be."

Before I could say anything else, he had leaned in and kissed me softly on my lips.

"Let's get out of here", I said.

We left the ball and went to the Old Haunt. I was honest about wanting to be together with Rick, but there was one thing that still bothered me.

"Rick, I want us to be together, but I have one thing holding me back. I need to know what happened with Kyra, Meredith, and Gina."

And as we sat in our booth at Rick's bar, he told the long sad story of the three heartbreaks of Richard Castle. Told me how the first girl he ever loved left him without a backward glance; how the mother of his child cheated on him constantly (_the bitch, my words never his_), and deserted her husband and child on Christmas Eve; how his second wife married him as a way of keeping his nose to the grindstone, how she had tried to get him to put his career ahead of his daughter, and left him when she realized it wasn't going to happen; how, when they had tried to reconcile the pattern started again only this time jealousy of his "devotion" to a certain homicide detective had been added to the mix.

It was a sad story and by the end of it, all I wanted to do was to take this wonderful man home and kiss the sorrows away.

So that's what I did. It started in the limo on the way back to my apartment. We didn't make out like teenagers, but we did kiss and cuddle. A few minutes later, we were in my apartment, on my couch, and that's when the make out session began. I kissed him, he kissed me and it was everything I had expected, hoped, dreamed it would be, and it wasn't until I caught myself beginning to unbutton his shirt that I remembered **the promise, that stupid promise. **For a few moments I truly considered breaking it, but then I knew I couldn't.

"Rick, please, stop."

"Kate please, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't, not tonight. Please Rick just go. I'm so sorry"' and with that I ran into my bedroom. A few minutes later I heard the door close. The last thing I remember was lying on my bed sobbing, and for the first time in my life regretted something my mother and I had shared.

KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC KB/RC

And so there I was 8:00 a.m on Saturday morning, waiting to see if my life would begin or if it was over. The last time I was this panicky was the day I finally told Rick I remembered everything from the funeral, and he told me about the files he had been sent. In the end it seemed our secrets cancelled each other out and everything was okay. But now maybe I had finally screwed things up beyond repair. Damn it Mom, why did you make me give you that stupid promise.

Suddenly I heard the ding of the elevator, and without needing to look up I just knew he was there. I heard his footsteps as he walked to my (_scratch that_) **our** desk. He set my coffee (_after last night he still brought my coffee, God I love him so much!_) on the desk, sat in his chair and said, "Good morning, Detective?"

I took a deep breath and looked into his blue eyes. I don't know what I was expecting to see in them, anger, frustration, rejection, but all I saw was love and confusion.

"Rick", I said, "we need to talk."

No soon had I said the words, than I regretted them. Remembering his story from last night, I realized they (_the three witches who had shattered his _heart) had all probably said the same words to him just before the end. The sudden hitch in his breathing and the sadness that flashed into his eyes told me I was right, but I had said them and I couldn't take them back.

"Come on, let's go into the break room."

I had barely closed the door, when Rick began to speak, "Kate, I know what you're going to say. It's okay, we'll just pretend that last night never happened, please don't kick me out of he precinct. I..."

"Shut up!, Castle", I said, "I want to tell you a story"

"What?"

"I said, I want to tell you a story. When I was sixteen I went on my first real date. It was with a boy named Cory, and I was crazy about him. In fact I've only really felt that way about one other person in my whole life. He was something else, he was smart, and cocky, and sweet. I'd known him since fourth grade and he began by annoying the crap out of me, not unlike someone else I could name. He was the only other boy who pulled my pigtails and made me like it, also like someone else I could name. The night of our date, while I was in my room getting ready, my mom came in and talked to me. She didn't do the whole birds and bees thing; she simply told me to be careful, to have a good time, and be home before 11. Then she looked at me, "Katie I want you to promise me something. No matter how much you like or love a boy, please promise me you'll never go too far on the **first** date."

I was only 16 so I didn't really think about it, and I made her the promise, and I've kept it all these years. At first I did it to please her, and then after she was murdered I kept it as a way of honoring her memory."

"Kate, why didn't you tell me? I would've understood."

"I know you would have, it's just that last night was the first time since I made the promise that I ever wanted to break it. I have never ever felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Up until last night I have always been able to step away with no regrets. In fact until last night I was never even tempted to break the promise. I've been sitting here all morning terrified that I ruined everything last night, but then you came this morning and brought me my coffee, and that reminded of something else my mom said, "Katie if he's the right one he'll be back in the morning."

"So where does that leave us, Kate?"

"It leaves where were before we got to my apartment. I told you I want us to be together ; I meant it then, and I mean it even more now. Listen, I've got an idea, are Alexis and Martha expecting you home for dinner tonight?"

"No, Alexis is spending the night at Paige's, and Mother is staying at her school."

"Good, then why don't we stop at the store after work, and you come back to my place, and I'll fix you dinner?"

As I looked at him, a huge smile crossed Rick's face, "Sounds like a plan."

"No Rick, it sounds like a **date**."

As I turned and began walking towards the door, he called to me, "Uh, Kate, what did your mom say about a second date?"

Instead of answering him right away, I crossed back to him, took him by the back of his neck, and pulled him to my lips, at first he froze, but when I licked his lips, his mouth opened and we deepened the kiss

"Oh, Ricky", I said when I could form words again, "On a second date all bets are off."

I gazed up at him, it took him a couple of seconds to process what I was telling him, and then the biggest grin I have ever seen spread across his face, and I knew that he knew that tomorrow morning (_and probably for most of our mornings thereafter) _neither of us would be waking up frustrated, unsatisfied or **alone**.

Then I leaned in, kissed him once more, and swinging my hips a little more than normal, strutted to the door; turning back I looked at him, "You coming, babe?"

_Fin_

_**As always please review.**_


End file.
